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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Opinion: Time to tackle the scourge of online anonymity and political intimidation

... It is obvious that today’s conditions offer few guardrails on what is an acceptable critique of an elected official. It is time we recognize that democracy is only upheld when we uphold the safety of those who are elected democratically and conduct their work without fear. We need an amendment to the law to signal to the idiots of the world that their day is done.

My first stop today would be to ban any social media platform in this country that permits anonymous accounts. How we let this poisonous genie from the bottle nearly two decades ago defies logic, but it changed the game and enabled anyone, anywhere, anytime to pour toxins into civil society with no legal response. It permitted cowards a free shot, as if the targets were assailed while blindfolded, without serious consequences.

The absolute spinelessness of those accounts ought to be a crime, nearly as seriously as stalking and child pornography online are ...

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